Researchers have just measured the acceleration of the cheetah for the first time. But how do other animals in the air and sea measure up?

By Land: Cheetah

By Land: Cheetah

The chase lasted less than 30 seconds. No jagged turn could throw the hunter. Through the grasses and over the scrub, the cheetah tailed the impala at every turn and dogged its prey at every corner. And then, in an instant, it was over—under the heat of the savannah sun in northern Botswana, the cheetah feasted in victory. But here's what's truly impressive: The cheetah, the fastest land animal on the planet, only needed to reach half its top speed.

Alan Wilson, a researcher of biomechanical movement at the University of London, led a study that appeared in today's Nature in which his team used GPS collars to detail the first-ever measurements of turning speeds and acceleration in cheetahs. Any kid who stayed awake in science class probably remembers that cheetahs are the fastest land animals, but, Wilson says, most successful hunts had little to do with flashy top speed. "Acceleration and deceleration are absolutely critical," Wilson says. "It's turning, maneuvering, and changing speed that's needed to get close enough to the prey to actually capture it."

Cheetahs use their nonretractable claws and rigged footpads as cleats to maximize their traction, and avoid burnouts when turning by shifting their heavy tails. Those skills, combined with enormously long hamstring and calf muscles, help cheetahs take home the gold as the fastest-accelerating land animal, in addition to having the highest top speed. In a single stride cheetahs can tack on an extra 7 mph, and at their peak the big cats accelerate at a rate of slightly more than 1 g—meaning they accelerate at roughly the speed of a falling rock. Greyhounds, the second-fastest land accelerator, can post about 0.7 g's.

But if you really want to see impressive acceleration, get off the land.

By Air: Leafhopper

By Air: Leafhopper

In terms of raw speed, the fleet and feathered dominate the air. Peregrine falcons, for example, can dive through the sky at speeds exceeding 200 mph. But birds have nothing on the unassuming leafhopper when it comes to acceleration. This minuscule insect accelerates hundreds of times faster than the falling bird, jumping with an explosive power of 700 g's.

How do the bugs manage such an astounding jolt of speed? "It's similar to firing an arrow from a bow," says Gregory Sutton, an insect expert at the University of Bristol. "Their entire torso—their thorax—is an arched spring," he says. Leafhoppers' leg muscles, which can bend the torso taut, cock the bug into a jump-ready position that would put an NBA player to shame. It takes the bug about 2 seconds to get into a ready position, but its subsequent leap flings the leafhopper with about half the acceleration a pro golfer imparts with his driver.

What's especially strange about leafhoppers is that they actually survive these extreme gymnastics. The average human being probably wouldn't live through anything higher than 20 g's (though this depends on how long the acceleration is sustained). Leafhoppers regularly endure a few dozen times that. Their secret: The organs are plastered against the walls of their body, locked down and ready for liftoff. "Their seatbelt is already built in," Sutton says.